PSALM 29
We are to give to the LORD verse 1- 2
Give to the LORD – O you mighty
give to the LORD glory and strength
give to the LORD the glory due to HIS name
worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness
Voice of the LORD is powerful verse 3- 9
The voice of the LORD is on the waters
the God of glory thunders
the LORD is on many waters
The voice of the LORD is powerful
the voice of the LORD is full of majesty
The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars
yea – the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon
HE makes them also to skip like a calf
Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn
The voice of the LORD divides the flames of fire
The voice of the LORD sakes the wilderness
the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh
The voice of the LORD makes the hinds to calve
and discovers the forests
and in HIS temple does every one speak HIS glory
Sovereignty of the LORD verse 10- 11
The LORD sits upon the flood
YEA – the LORD sits King forever
The LORD will give strength unto HIS people
the LORD will bless HIS people with peace
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 Give to the LORD, O you mighty, give to the LORD glory and strength. (3051 “give” [yahab] means to cause to have, set, place, to provide, ascribe (glory), to grant, permit, praise, speak, to cause tohave, in the abstract sense or physical sense.)
DEVOTION: Too often we only think of asking God for something that we want. We usually want it right away. We don’t like to wait for the LORD to answer our prayers. It is part of our human nature to want things yesterday the things that we are asking HIM for today.
Now we find that David is saying that we are to provide the LORD with something. We are to be the ones who are giving and not always taking from the LORD. We like the word “ask” because there are so many things that we think we need from the LORD. We don’t take time to give God the things that we should be giving HIM on a regular basis.
One of the things that we should be giving God each day is our thanks and praise. HE has blessed us more than we deserve because of our nature to sin and to not ask for forgiveness as often as we ask HIM for things that we think we need right NOW!
David is telling those that are considered “mighty” to give and not always look for what they can get. He is telling us that we need to ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. We have the ability to praise the LORD. We have the ability to give to the LORD all our strength in our service to HIM.
CHALLENGE: What have you provided the LORD today? Have you given a testimony of HIS greatness to someone who is in need of HIS salvation? We should spend time praising the LORD on a regular basis!
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 2 Give to the LORD the glory due to HIS name, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. (2331 “worship” [chavah] means conceived of as bowing down to a deity, do obeisance, declare, to sink down, or bow in worship.)
DEVOTION: When we come to church to attend a service what are we trying to do during that time period? Is it any different from going to a school event? Is it any different when we go to a concert?
What should be want to do when we attend a service that is to honor the LORD on Sunday? Is it all about us enjoying the singing? Is it all about the sermon being something that we enjoy?
Is it all about us or is it supposed to be about the LORD when we enter a church building on Sunday? It seems that most people think that when they enter the building it is about them and if they are going to be entertained. If they are not entertained than they will look for another place to go to, so that, they can be entertained.
David is saying that when we gather together as believers than it should be about the LORD and our responsibility to praise HIM and worship HIM alone.
It is part of our thanksgiving offering to HIM for HIS provision of salvation and a promise of a place in heaven for us.
Too often it is not that but all about us and this should change. It should be us asking what we can do to make the service more worshipful to the LORD. Are we thinking these thoughts when we get ready for church and when we enter the building called the “church”?
CHALLENGE: David thinks and I think the Bible teaches that the reason we gather on Sunday is to worship HIM and give HIM praise!
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: 4 “The voice of the LORD is powerful; The voice of the LORD is full of majesty.” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982) (Voice 6963 קֹול, קֹל, קֹל [qowl, qol /kole/] n m. From an unused root meaning to call aloud; TWOT 1998a, 2028b; GK 7754 and 7825 and 7826; 506 occurrences; AV translates as “voice” 383 times, “noise” 49 times, “sound” 39 times, “thunder” 10 times, “proclamation + 5674” four times, “send out + 5414” twice, “thunderings” twice, “fame” once, and translated miscellaneously 16 times. 1 voice, sound, noise. 1A voice. 1B sound (of instrument). 2 lightness, frivolity. James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
DEVOTION: The psalmist describes the voice of the Lord here as a mighty storm that is sweeping over the entire region of Israel. It is powerful and destructive capturing the attention of everyone and everything in its path. This voice that speaks and sounds like thunder and its power displayed result in worship and exclamation of “glory”! It is amazing that the Lord can go to such extents to gain our attention and reverence. The opposite is also true where in v. 9 He speaks and the deer give birth. Softly and delicately He speaks and life begins! The storms of life may be God’s speaking or the soft still voice may be God speaking! (He spoke to Elijah after the storm in a still small voice. 1 Kings 19:12) Listen carefully for the voice of the Lord!
CHALLENGE: Today wherever you are, in the storm or gently rocking in a soft breeze, listen for the voice of the Lord! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
:10 “The Lord sitteth upon the flood; Yea, the Lord sitteth King forever.”
(“Flood,” 3999 מַבּוּל [mabbuwl], flood [Strong, J. (2001). Enhanced
Strong’s Lexicon. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.])
DEVOTION: David here recalls the flood of Genesis 6-7. While this reference to the flood could be a metaphor for the enemies of Israel, it is more likely that David had in mind God’s earlier judgment upon the world. God caused a worldwide flood to occur because of man’s sinfulness (Genesis 6:17). Here David points out the sovereignty of God, which leads him to conclude that God will judge the enemies of His people.
There is also a distinction drawn between those who love righteousness and those who do not, just as God made a distinction between Noah and the rest of the world. It was Noah’s faith (as shown by obeying God) which caused him to be spared him from the flood, and by having this faith Noah condemned the world (Hebrews 11:7). So it may well be that some people’s response to our faith will be what will end up condemning them.
In this verse God is described as sitting upon the flood. The idea of a flood itself sounds overwhelming, and yet God is so much more powerful that the flood that He is able to sit down on top of it (again a metaphor/anthropomorphism for God as He is pictured as being sovereign over the flood). Since God is so much greater than the flood, David asserts that God is able to get us through any calamity we might face.
So we see that David is able to praise God for His sovereignty. This requires that we get our eyes off ourselves and onto God in spite of our circumstances. Often it is our focus that determines our response.
CHALLENGE: Are you able to trust God in the face of any storms that are attacking you at the moment? Will you be like Noah and be a preacher of righteousness and hold onto your faith? Each time we are attacked, we can choose to resist the enemy by holding fast to God! (Dr. Marc Wooten – board member)
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: 11 The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace. (7965 “peace” [shalom] means completeness, soundness, welfare, safety, quiet, tranquility, or contentment.)
DEVOTION: Confusion reigns in our world. I receive calls almost daily lately from someone in Kenya who is helping orphans, as well as, his family during a time of famine. He would like people to send money to buy food for them A couple have died because of hunger. Yet he can have contentment through it all. Not contentment in the fact that some of these children are dying, but in the fact that the LORD knows his every need.
David tells us to give the LORD glory. He tells the children of Israel to worship the LORD. He wants all the people to hear the voice of the LORD. He wants them to realize that the LORD is King.
With all this knowledge, the people of God are to realize that the only tranquility they can receive comes from the LORD. This psalm of David informs us that we can have contentment in the midst of a storm. The LORD is in control.
HE promises HIS people contentment with what is going on around them, if they depend on HIS strength and not their own. We give our problems to the LORD one minute and take the back the next because we think we can handle them. We are not supposed to handle them. HE IS!
Are we letting the LORD bless us with contentment? Are we listening to the LORD? If not, why not????
During our times of trouble we need to turn to the LORD in prayer and praise. It is very difficult to do this because we think we have all the answers. Turn to the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Listen to HIS voice!!! HE speaks in HIS still small voice at times, so we have to listen HARD.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Give to the LORD glory due HIS name verse 2
Worship verse 2
Speak of glory of the LORD in HIS temple verse 9
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1- 5, 7- 11
Beauty of holiness verse 2
Voice of the LORD verse 3- 5, 7, 8
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 3
God of Glory verse 3, 9
Powerful verse 4
Full of majesty verse 4
King verse 10
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Mighty verse 1
Cedars of Lebanon verse 5, 6
Sirion verse 6
Wilderness of Kadesh verse 8
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Give verse 1
Glory verse 2
Worship verse 2
Strength verse 11
Blessed verse 11
Peace verse 11
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Psalm of David verse 1- 11
HIS people verse 11
Blessed of the LORD verse 11
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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DONATIONS:
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QUOTES regarding passage
The climax is the answering cry of ‘Glory!’, a response of humility, joy and understanding which reveals that, to some, the storm is not an outbreak of meaningless or hostile forces, but the voice of the Lord, heard in all his works. The Hebrew (if the text is accurate) goes even further, in that all is lit. ‘all of it’, i.e. everything in the temple. Some commentators refer this to the heavenly sanctuary; but the earthly one, as its ‘copy and shadow’ (Heb. 8:5), fulfilled the same purpose, expressing by its very pattern and ordinances the holiness and glory of God, more explicitly than the most impressive displays of power. And what was true of the material shrine is, still more, what God requires of his living temples, corporate and individual (1 Cor. 3:16f.; 6:19): that every part of such a sanctuary should cry, ‘Glory!’ (Kidner, D. (1973). Psalms 1–72: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 15, pp. 144–145). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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8–9 The glory of God reveals itself in the desert regions. It is far from clear which particular desert is the “Desert of Kadesh” (v. 8). Some take it as a reference to the region around Kadesh Barnea and associate the setting with the Sinai traditions (cf. Weiser, p. 264). A.A. Anderson represents those who identify it with Kadesh by the Orontes (1:237; cf. Dahood, Psalms 1:178). Craigie seems most balanced in his conclusion that “the reference to desert … should be interpreted generally, rather than specifically” (Psalms 1–50, p. 248). The “Desert of Kadesh” stands for desert regions in general. Yahweh rules over everything, including the vast desert regions. His “voice” is also heard there.
The “voice of the Lord” resonates in heaven and on earth. The proper response of God’s heavenly creatures is their ascription of glory to the Great King. Everyone in his heavenly temple cries out, “Glory!” (v. 9c). The majestic effect of the poem leaves one struck with awe having the question, Why is it that earthly creatures are not overcome by the splendor of God’s kingship? (VanGemeren, W. A. (1991). Psalms. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Vol. 5, p. 256). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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29:8–9. The storm (the voice of the Lord) shook not only the mountains (v. 6) but also the Desert of Kadesh. This Kadesh was a town about 75 miles north of Damascus, not Kadesh in the south. As the storm moved on, it shook the fauna and flora in the eastern wilderness. The storm made the hinds calve (as most versions translate the Heb.; cf. kjv, nasb, niv marg.) prematurely due to fear, and stripped the leaves from the trees in the forests. As a result all creatures in His temple, perhaps angels again (cf. v. 1), shouted praises of glory to His power. (Ross, A. P. (1985). Psalms. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 816). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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29:9 As David sees the storm fade away in the south, he summarizes his admiration in three observations. First he says that the voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth. It is a scientific fact that weather disturbances have a direct influence on animals that are about to deliver their young.
The psalmist sees the forests denuded of leaves. The trees stand gaunt and bare, robbed of their foliage in a matter of minutes.
Then the sweet singer of Israel reminds us that in God’s temple everyone cries “Glory!” His temple here quite clearly means the world of nature, especially the area that is being convulsed by the storm. The arrows of lightning, the peals of thunder, the winds of gale velocity, the forests, the wilderness—all join in telling forth the power, glory and majesty of God. (MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. (A. Farstad, Ed.) (pp. 588–589). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.)
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9a The voice of the Lord sets the hinds in labor,
9b And causes the mountain goats to give speedy birth!
While in the rendering of the psalm all three scenes were sung in the Temple, only the third scene has its imaginative dramatic setting there. Scene one is set in the heavenly court. Scene two is in the outer world of nature. But scene three is set in the Temple. By a transition even more striking than that from scene one to scene two, scene three transports us from the outer world of nature to the inner world of worship. We move from the area of description to the spiritual world of recognition and appreciation. Whence comes this voice of the Lord? The Lord who has thus “caused His glorious voice to be heard” is that holy Being who has His seat in Jerusalem. Amos himself said that it comes from the Temple:
The Lord roars from Zion,
And from Jerusalem gives forth His voice. (1:2.)
But the worshiping congregation in the Temple do not “mourn” like “the pastures of the shepherds” at that voice, nor do they “wither” like “the top of Carmel.” Before that voice they do not cower in terror. They know that the seeming fierceness of God in storm is but the reverse side of blessing. Schmidt has finely said, “For the inhabitants of Palestine in October or November, the voice of the Lord is extraordinarily impressive. It means joy—not only vast majesty but also grace and love.” For that “voice” heralds release from drought and barrenness. It means for Israel, as the Deuteronomist says (28:12), that “the Lord will open unto thee His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain of thy land in its season, and to bless all the work of thy hand.” The Lord’s voice is the promise of that autumnal rain called by the prophet Joel “the former rain in normal measure” (2:23). So the worshipers who are gathered in the Temple to celebrate the New Year—along with all else in the Temple, which vibrates in sympathy with their thankful recognition and trustful hope—now utter a glad exclamation:
9c And in His Temple, everything saith, “Glory!”
Then comes a pause, which the space between verses 9 and 10 in the printing of the psalm in the modern versions fittingly suggests. Often in a thunderstorm there comes a terrific peal of thunder, then after a few seconds of utter silence a veritable downpour of rain. So it is here. A pause, then comes a “flood” of rain. It is not the destructive deluge of primeval Hebrew story. Nor is it the heavenly ocean as Gunkel and Schmidt maintain. Rather is it the primeval deep, the storming chaotic flood which was opposed to the rule of the Lord, and which He had to master before He could create the world. But master it He did; then He created the world; and bringing those waters under His control, He made them serve His ends. As Oesterley has suggestively said, “The New Year festival was, as it were, a repetition of creation.” That “flood,” now in the Lord’s control, will be poured down upon His people and their land in the winter rains. It will make the soil fertile and its yield adequate. Over that flood now sits the Lord enthroned forever! So the choir sings in triumph: (Leslie, E. A. (1949). The Psalms: Translated and Interpreted in the Light of Hebrew Life and Worship (pp. 139–140). Nashville; New York: Abingdon Press.)
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Ver. 9. The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve, &c.] Which being timorous creatures, the bringing forth of their young, which is naturally very painful and difficult, is lessened and facilitated by thunder; they being either so frighted with it that they feel not their pains; or their pains, being hastened by it, become more easy; and naturalists observe, that the time of bringing forth their young is at that season of the year when thunder is most frequent; see Job 39:11. Thunder has a like effect on sheep, and makes them abortive: this may be applied to the Gospel, which is the means of bringing forth souls to Christ by his churches and ministers; who may very fitly be compared to hinds for their love and loveliness, their swiftness and readiness to do the will of Christ, and their eager desires after communion with him, Prov. 5:19; Psal. 18:33 and 42:1. And discovereth the forests; or maketh bare: by beating off the leaves and branches of trees, and them to the ground; or by causing the wild beasts that frequent them to retire to their holes and dens; which effects are produced by thunder; and this aptly agrees with the Gospel, which is a revelation of secrets, of the thickets and deep things of God; of his council, covenant, mind, and will; and of the mysteries of his grace to the sons of men, and generally to babes, or men of their capacities; and of its stripping them of all their own righteousness, and dependence on it. And in his temple doth every one speak of his glory; either in heaven, where angels and glorified saints are continually employed in speaking of his glorious name, nature, and works; or in the temple, or tabernacle at Jerusalem, where the Levites stood to praise the Lord morning and evening, and where the tribes went up to worship, and to give thanks unto the Lord, 1 Chron. 23:30; Psal. 122:4. or the church of God, which is the temple of the living God, whither saints resort, and where they dwell, and speak of the glory of God, of his divine perfections, and of his works of creation and providence; and of the glory of the person of Christ, and salvation by him; and of the glorious work of grace begun in their souls by the blessed Spirit; for hither such as have heard the voice of Christ, and have felt the power of it, and have found it to be a soul-shaking, an heart-breaking, and an illuminating voice, come, and declare it to the glory of the grace of God. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 3, p. 649). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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9. “The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve,” those timid creatures, in deadly fear of the tempest, drop their burdens in an untimely manner. Perhaps a better reading is, “the oaks to tremble,” especially as this agrees with the next sentence, and “discovereth the forests.” The dense shades of the forest are lit up with the lurid glare of the lightning, and even the darkest recesses are for a moment laid bare.
“The gloomy woods
Start at the flash, and from their deep recess
Wide-flaming out, their trembling inmates shake.”
Our first parents sought a refuge among the trees, but the voice of the Lord soon found them out, and made their hearts to tremble. There is no concealment from the fire-glance of the Almighty—one flash of his angry eye turns midnight into noon. The gospel has a like revealing power in dark hearts, in a moment it lights up every dark recess of the heart’s ungodliness, and bids the soul tremble before the Lord.
“In his temple doth every one speak of his glory.” Those who were worshipping in the temple, were led to speak of the greatness of Jehovah as they heard the repeated thunder-claps. The whole world is also a temple for God, and when he rides abroad upon the wings of the wind, all things are vocal in his praise. We too, the redeemed of the Lord, who are living temples for his Spirit, as we see the wonders of his power in creation, and feel them in grace, unite to magnify his name. No tongue may be dumb in God’s temple when his glory is the theme. The original appears to have the force of “every one crieth Glory,” as though all things were moved by a sense of God’s majesty to shout in ecstasy, “Glory, glory.” Here is a good precedent for our Methodist friends and for the Gogoniants of the zealous Welsh.
10. “The Lord sitteth upon the flood.” Flood follows tempest, but Jehovah is ready for the emergency. No deluge can undermine the foundation of his throne. He is calm and unmoved, however much the deep may roar and be troubled: his government rules the most unstable and boisterous of created things. Far out on the wild waste of waters, Jehovah “plants his footsteps in the sea, and rides upon the storm,” “Yea, the Lord sitteth King for ever.” Jesus has the government upon his shoulders eternally: our interests in the most stormy times are safe in his hands. Satan is not king, but Jehovah Jesus is; therefore let us worship him, and rejoice evermore. (Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.). The treasury of David: Psalms 27-57 (Vol. 2, p. 32). London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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2 Thessalonians 3
We are to hold other Christians accountable for the integrity of their lifestyles.
INSIGHT
Past generations of Christians have been guilty of excess in judging other people. The Inquisition and the Salem witch trials are glaring examples, but other examples abound throughout history. Today we live in an age of greater understanding and acceptance, which is certainly preferable – unless it degenerates into careless acceptance of things which are clearly wrong – in which case the pendulum swings too far the other way. We are to be tolerant of debatable things, but clear sin is to be dealt with. “Withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly” (v. 6). (Quiet Walk)
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THE APOSTOLIC TEACHING ABOUT JESUS
…Jesus Christ is come in the flesh… 1 John 4:2
What is the apostolic teaching concerning Christ? Now in a phrase in our text John gives us the perfect answer. John does not use words like this haphazardly. Listen to the way in which he puts it: “Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God” (1 John 4:2). Now here is the statement: “Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.” Jesus Christ arrived in the world “in the flesh.” What does this mean? Let me try to show you how John in putting it like this was countering and answering some of those grievous heresies that had already arisen even in his day in the church, before the end of the first century.
Take the expression “Jesus Christ.” Why does John say, “Jesus Christ is come in the flesh”? Why did he not say that Jesus or Christ has come in the flesh? Ah, that is most important; that is his way of emphasizing the unity of the blessed person. The Lord Jesus Christ has two natures—the divine and the human—and yet there is only one person. The earlier chapters of 1 John make it plain that there were false prophets, antichrists, in the early church, and some of them said something like this: “Jesus of Nazareth was just a man like every other man; but when He was baptized by John in the Jordan, the eternal Christ came upon Him and began to use Him; and the eternal Christ continued with the man Jesus until He came to the cross. But on the cross the eternal Christ went away, back to heaven, and it was only the man Jesus who died. There were two persons—the man Jesus and the eternal Christ.” No! says John; “Jesus Christ,” one person but two natures—the two natures in one person.
A Thought to Ponder
The Lord Jesus Christ has two natures—the divine and the human—and yet there is only one person. (From The Love of God, pp. 31-32. By Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Should a Christian Get Angry?
“But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment” (Matthew 5:22)
There are a number of Scriptures that, taken alone, would indicate that a Christian should never get angry about anything. For example, note Ephesians 4:31: “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger…be put away from you.”
Yet, Jesus indicated only that anger “without a cause” was wrong and invited judgment. Many modern translations omit the phrase “without a cause” in this verse, but the phrase does occur in over 99.5% of all the Greek manuscripts and thus clearly should be retained.
If anger were never permitted for a believer, it would contradict even the occasional example of Jesus Himself. “And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts” (Mark 3:5). He was angered here by certain hypocrites among the Pharisees who were ready to condemn Him for healing a disabled man on the Sabbath.
We are never justified in getting angry over some personal injury or insult to ourselves. This is implied in context in such verses as cited above (Colossians 3:8, etc.). “Recompense to no man evil for evil…avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath” (Romans 12:17, 19). But if we do get angry in spite of ourselves, we are commanded, “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath” (Ephesians 4:26).
There may be some situations involving injury or insult to the name or work of Christ where anger is indeed “with cause.” Even then, however, God would warn us to be “swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19), remembering that “vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Romans 12:19).
(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Signs of the Day of the Lord, a day preceded by a vast “falling away,” show us we must stand fast.
INSIGHT
Unbelief is dangerous: It leads to deception, and deception leads to destruction. Jesus performed many miracles,convincing people of His identity so they could have a basis for believing in Him. Before His return, the Antichrist, empowered by Satan, will be loosed on the earth and a time of great deception and apostasy will occur. Those people who hate the truth will buy into this deception, precipitating their ultimate destruction. Meanwhile, believers must stand firm, holding tightly to the truth. In a world of falsehood and deliberate deception, we must always be on guard. (Quiet Walk)
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Fourth Quarter
See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God. HEBREWS 12:15
Pat Summerall is a man living in the fourth quarter of life. His first quarter was spent in the home of his grandmother—he was born into a broken home and his parents abandoned him at an early age. His second quarter was filled with athletic success, first as a college football standout at the University of Arkansas (“Go Hogs!”) and then as an NFL great with the New York Giants.
The third quarter, though, was a volatile mix of success and failure.
Professionally, he became one of the premier broadcast voices on sports television—for many years he was famous as the partner of John Madden as they covered NFL football. But severe alcoholism was eroding his family life, destroying his marriage and threatening his friendships.
So Pat’s third quarter came to a close with a surprise meeting attended by 14 friends, including some of the most prominent people in professional sports. Each had a letter to read and an appeal to make: “Will you go for help?”
Anger hardened him at first against the things he was hearing, but the surprising confrontation was too much to withstand. He checked in to a recovery clinic… and met Jesus in the process. At 66 years of age, he was baptized in a Texas church and has been living for Christ ever since.
So now Pat Summerall is in the fourth quarter of life—coming from behind, restoring his family relationships and proclaiming a vital message: “It’s never too late.”
No matter what you’ve done, no matter how far you’ve slipped away, there is always hope. There is always possibility. There is always more to be gained in Christ than you’ve lost along the way.
DISCUSS
How do you handle success? Failure? Has there ever been a moment in your life when you wondered if it was too late? (Moments with You Couples by Dennis and Barbara Rainey)
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PSEUDO-INTELLECTUALISM
Quench not the Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:19
Some people are so afraid of emotionalism that there is an absence of a true and a healthy and a God-given emotion among them.
What is this all due to? I believe it is due to a pseudo-intellectualism, a false sense of what is respectable, and I am profoundly convinced that this may be one of the greatest hindrances to revival. You see, we pride ourselves on our learning.
One of the greatest intellects that this world has ever known was the apostle Paul. But look at him as he is moved by a grand sweep of emotion. He starts off on a point, but suddenly he names Christ, and he is lost. He forgets what he is saying, and he bursts into magnificent eloquence. And then he comes back to his point again. Disorder, if you like, inconsistencies —use your own term. Yes, but it is the glory of the man; this giant intellect, who could be moved by the truth, was moved to tears.
As George Whitefield was preaching about the glories of grace and salvation, tears were pouring down his cheeks, and those who listened to him were weeping, too. It is true of all these men; yet we may be so hard and so intellectual and so controlled. This is not a plea for emotionalism, which I have denounced; it is a plea for emotion. God save us from being so afraid of the false that we quench the Spirit of God and become so respectable and so pseudo-intellectual that the Spirit of God is kept back, and we go on in our dryness and aridity and in our comparative futility and helplessness and uselessness. Let us approximate a little more closely to the church as she is depicted in the pages of the New Testament. “Quench not the Spirit” but at the same time “prove all things; hold fast that which is good (5:21).”
A Thought to Ponder: This is not a plea for emotionalism; it is a plea for emotion. (From Revival, p. 79, by Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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